Without realizing it, the barrier on the tenth layer was shattered by the bite of a sliver-colored twin-headed dragon.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
The twin-headed dragon let out a jubilant roar, as if it had completed its mission. The sound waves generated by its roar, combined with the astonishing magical energy radiating from its body, reverberated throughout the surroundings.
At that moment, with the shattering of the tenth-layer barrier, the two armies finally clashed.
Seeing the Holy City right before their eyes, the Mountain People's eyes turned red with fervor. They let out unrestrained battle cries, charging forward alongside the army of monsters and golems to meet the advancing Knights from the Holy City.
"Fire!"
From atop the city walls, Agravain issued the order without hesitation. Countless knights stationed on the walls raised their bows and loosed their arrows, forming a sky-darkening rain of arrows that swept across the battlefield.
"Don't even try!"
Leading the dragon horde, Jeanne [Alter] was the first to respond. She shouted loudly and swung her Cursed Flag, prompting the dragons to roar in anger and unleash scorching breath attacks to intercept the incoming arrows.
The rain of arrows was consumed one after another by the dragon breath, burning away into nothingness.
"Don't stop! Keep firing!"
Agravain remained unfazed, calmly issuing another order, launching the second volley of arrows.
"Fools!"
Jeanne [Alter] sneered mercilessly, commanding the dragon horde once more. The dragons swooped through the air, unleashing torrents of flame that incinerated the incoming arrows.
For a time, flames and arrows crisscrossed the battlefield, weaving a chaotic spectacle in the sky.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the two armies had already engaged in fierce combat.
The Mountain People roared in fury, swinging their weapons at the Knights.
The monster army shrieked as they charged forward.
The golem battalions rumbled like rolling siege engines, stomping through the battlefield with unstoppable force.
Naturally, the Knights did not flinch in the slightest, meeting their foes head-on.
The battlefield erupted into a cacophony of clashing weapons, battle cries, monstrous roars, screams of agony, and earth-shaking impacts.
Thus, the battle quickly devolved into a stalemate.
Even though Rozen had summoned tens of thousands of familiars, forming an overwhelming force, the Lion King had clearly anticipated this and bolstered the Knights' numbers accordingly. Their ranks had swelled to nearly a hundred thousand.
Previously, the Holy City's forces numbered only around ten thousand. The fact that their numbers had increased nearly tenfold suggested that the Lion King had used the power of the Holy Grail to create more Knights.
Moreover, these Knights had undergone enhancements—whether through blessings or forced augmentation, they now exhibited combat prowess approaching that of Servants.
Of course, "approaching Servants" meant they were comparable to weaker Servants at best.
Thus, while the Knights held a significant advantage in one-on-one combat against the monsters, golems, and Mountain People, several key areas of their lines were still breached.
And in those areas, formidable Servants were rampaging.
"Apologies, but for Lord Rozen's sake, you must die."
Hassan of Serenity whispered these chilling words as she transformed into a deathly gale, cutting down enemies with kunai-like weapons or poisoning them with unseen toxins. One by one, the Knights collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"There is no honor in your battle. If that's the case, then you can never defeat us!"
Bedivere charged through the ranks of the Knights, raising his silver arm. Light radiated from his arm, forming a blade of light. With each swing, he effortlessly cut through the armor of the Knights as if it were mere paper.
"Hmph!"
Artoria [Alter] likewise plunged into enemy lines, saying nothing. She charged forward like a pitch-black tempest, her Holy Sword flashing with dark radiance as she mercilessly cleaved through one Knight after another.
Rozen's Servants all moved out, demonstrating their extraordinary might.
Bedivere, in particular, stood out—despite not having a contract with Rozen, and despite not seeming especially powerful at first glance, his silver arm's blade was as sharp as Artoria [Alter]'s Holy Sword.
Whether facing weapons, armor, or helmets, all were instantly severed upon contact with the blade of light.
Meanwhile, Jeanne [Alter] led the dragon horde in unleashing torrents of fire, incinerating arrows mid-flight as the army steadily advanced toward the Holy City.
"Boom!"
High above, the Light of Judgment continued its descent.
"Clang!"
Mash soared into the sky, summoning the radiance of the White Castle to once again intercept the apocalyptic force.
The battlefield descended into utter chaos.
Yet, despite everything, Rozen's forces held the advantage. Their advance was swift, drawing ever closer to the Holy City.
"What in the world is Sir Gawain doing...!?"
Agravain's expression darkened.
He had assumed that once Gawain entered the battlefield, he would turn the tide. Yet the strongest Knight of the Sun had failed to halt the enemy's advance.
But this was not Gawain's fault.
After all...
"Boom!"
A surge of blazing solar fire erupted as the Holy Sword of the Sun swung down toward Rozen.
"Clang!"
In that moment, an unexpected sound rang out.
Instead of cleaving through its target, the unstoppable Holy Sword was deflected by a shroud of black fabric, scattering embers in the air.
"Swish, swish, swish...!"
A flurry of sharp strikes followed as the flowing black cloak's hem transformed into countless dark spears, lunging toward Gawain.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Gawain desperately swung his sword, deflecting the incoming attacks, but a single spear found an opening.
"Bang!"
A dark spear pierced through his defense and struck his body, sending him tumbling across the back of his dragon mount.
"Ugh!"
Gawain groaned as he struggled to regain his footing, barely managing to kneel and stabilize himself.
The invincible knight under the sun had been left in a sorry state.
"That cloak...!"
Gawain clutched his aching chest, his expression twisted in shock as he stared at the ember-scattering cloak draped over Rozen's shoulders.
That cloak had single-handedly kept him at bay despite his overwhelming power.
With a mere flick of its hem, it had repelled the Holy Sword of the Sun.
With a mere stab from its edge, it had sent the Knight of the Sun reeling.
"This is impossible..."
Gawain could scarcely believe it.
After all, he was currently far stronger than usual. His Spirit Origin had been reinforced, his skills enhanced, and with his daytime power multiplier permanently active, even the Lion King would struggle to overpower him without invoking Rhongomyniad.
And yet, he was being suppressed—by a cloak.
And by Rozen's mocking gaze.
"I told you, you can't win, Knight of the Sun."
With that, Rozen's cloak stirred, fluttering despite the absence of wind, its embers scattering even more intensely.
"This was made just for you. Enjoy yourself."
Rozen grabbed the cloak, forcefully tearing it off and tossing it into the air.
"Boom!"
The moment it was thrown, the cloak ignited in a roaring blaze.
"Buzz—!"
The very air trembled.
Then, the sun descended.